Expanding summer nutrition program

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When you live in Appalachia, it is not uncommon to see poverty on your street or nearby in your neighborhood.

What may be one of the most disturbing parts of the poverty condition is children who, when school is out for the summer, find themselves without nutritious meals, something U.S. senator Sherrod Brown says is one of the most important issues in Ohio.

“Last week, I outlined my top priorities for the upcoming year — and I am getting to work immediately on one of them: renewing and expanding nutrition programs that ensure Ohio children don’t go hungry, particularly during the summer months,” Brown said. “One-quarter of Ohio’s children live in households that have experienced hunger during the past year, and childhood nutrition programs are critical to providing school lunch and breakfast for these students. But too many of these children don’t have access to a nutritious meal when school cafeterias close for the summer.”

Brown said all Ohio children should be able to count on healthy, nutritious meals year-round — summer break shouldn’t mean going hungry.

“I’ve worked with advocates across the state to raise awareness of the summer feeding program each year, and last week the Senate Agriculture Committee voted to advance legislation that includes my bipartisan Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act,” Brown said. “With school buses often not operating when school is out of session, many children — particularly in rural areas — have no way to get to the churches and recreation centers and parks where meals are served. My legislation would help provide food to children who can’t access summer feeding sites.

Brown said the bill would also allow children to pick up meals and eat them off the premises, providing flexibility for busy parents who are often juggling work and child care while their children are out of school. He said it would cut red tape that organizations often face, streamlining the paperwork and application processes that are hurdles for schools, faith-based groups, and other organizations trying to serve students.

“This provision has broad, bipartisan support, and passed as part of legislation to reauthorize funding for school lunches, breakfasts and meals for children and mothers without enough to eat,” Brown said. “All Ohio children should be able to count on healthy, nutritious meals year-round — the National School Lunch Program is one of the most successful programs we have at curbing childhood hunger.”

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Brown at a Cleveland summer feeding site.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/02/web1_brown_childhunger.jpgBrown at a Cleveland summer feeding site.

By Frank Lewis

[email protected]

Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

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